Vertical retort for the carbonization of coal and the like



31, 1939. F. J. WEST ETAL 2.178.026

VERTICAL RETORT FOR THE CARBONIZATION 0F COAL AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 28, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 31, 1939. F WEST ET AL 2,178,026

VERTICAL RETORT Fen THE CARBONIZATION 0F COAL AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 28, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 JJ Wesg$ 1t7 Neg Oct. 31, 1939.

F. J. WEST ET AL I VERTICAL RETORT FOR THE CAREONIZATION 0F COAL AND THE LIKE F iled Jan. 28, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 O 31, F. J. WEST El AL VERTICAL RETORT FOR THE CARBONIZATION OF COAL AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 28, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 W W/WT Patented Oct. 31, 1939 VERTICAL RETORT FOR THE CARBONIZA- TION OF COAL AND THE LIKE Frederick Joseph West and Ernest West, Miles Platting, Manchester, England, assignors to Wests Gas Improvement-Company Limited,

Miles Platting, Mane company heater, England, a British Application January 28, 1938, Serial No. 187,504

In Great Britain February 18, 1937 4 Claims.

This invention relates to vertical retorts for the carbonization of coal and the like of the type described and claimed in our prior Patent No. 2,040,582 in which the carbonization space is of annular form, the inner wall thereof forming the outer wall of vertical combustion chambers bounded by the carbonization spaceso that the coal during carbonization forms an enclosure for the combustion chambers, absorbing the heat thereof and minimizing external radiation.

The object of the present invention is to improve vertical retorts of the said type so as to simplify the control thereof and improve their functioning.

The invention comprises a vertical retort for the carbonization of coal and the like, in which the carbonization space is of. annular form and surrounds the combustion space, the charge in the carbonization space being supported by movable gates or platforms, and in which the'said annular shape merges below the said gates or platforms into two parallelrectangular coke cooling chambers with discharge doors on their lower ends, into which the charge from the annular carbonization chamber is dropped when the gates or platforms are removed from beneath the charge. p

The invention further comprises the arrangement in which the annular carbonization space has long sides substantially parallel with the major axis of the retort and substantially semicircular ends, the combustion chambers being in a single row bounded by the carbonization space.

The invention further comprises the arrangement in which the hot secondary air and the producer gas for combustion at the flame ports at the base of the combustion chambers are introduced into the setting from opposite sides thereof between the two parallel rectangular coke cooling chambers.

Referring to the accompanying explanatory drawingsv Figures 1 and 2 are vertical sectional elevations taken at right angles to one another showing a vertical retort setting constructed and arranged in one convenient form in accordance with this invention.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional plan view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional plan view on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a sectional end view on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

(01. 202-220) Figure '7 is a view drawn to a larger scale than Figure 2 of the base of the retort showing the" I discharge doors.

Figure 8 is a viewto a larger scale looking in the direction of the'arrow 8 in Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a plan' view of one of the gates or platforms at the base of the carbonization zone of theretort.

As will be seen by reference to Figures 1, 2 and 5, the carbonization space a of the retort at. its

upper part is of annular form and within such annular space are disposed vertical combustion spaces b, c, d, e and 7, each with a gas inlet g and a secondary air inlet h for producing the requisite high temperature flames. The gas for the flame ports or is obtained from the gas producer i and the secondary air is obtained from" the passage j which is heated externally at its upper end by passages through which the waste products of combustion from the space m above the tops of the combustion spaces b; e, d, cand 1 passes on their way to the usual chimney, not shown. I

Coal to be carbonized is fed to the annular retort from the overheadhoppers n and feed branches 0. The gas produced during distillation leaves the top of the carbonization space a by the offtake pipe p.-

At about the base of the carbonization zone of the annular retort space a are located two pivotally mounted substantially horizontal gates or platforms q, one of which is shown separatelyin plan view in Figure 9; .The pivotal portions of such gates or platforms are located in recesses in the sidewalls of the retort setting as shown in Figure 2. During the carbonization of the charge in the retort, the gates or platforms q are in their raised positions as shown in Figure 2 and support the charge. When carbonization is completed, thegates'are turned downwards into the recesses in' the walls of thesetting andallow the charge to fall into the steaming and coke cooling spaces 1- and 8 below, where'the coke is supported by the doors t and u. i

The gates q are carried by spindles 'u (see Figure 5) mounted in the retort setting. Upon one spindle (see Figure 8) is secured a toothed quadrant w turned by the shaft a through the gearing shown. The said quadrant has an arm 1 thereon which is coupled by a link z to an arm 9 on the other gate spindle 12 so that the two arched in plan.

retort space and close up such ends (see Figure 4). The long sides of the retort are further lengthened to accommodate the coke displaced from the ends by the pieces I so that the coke space consists of two long parallel rectangular spaces 1" and s as shown in Figure 3.

The bases of the spaces r and s are closed by the doors t and u, see Figures 2 and '7. The said mounting of the door enabling it to bed ac-v curately upon the bottom of the retort space.

It will be noted that the carbonization space a whilst of annular form has its outer and inner walls of ellipsoidal form in plan and sectional plan, the long sides being parallel with the major axis so that the shape consists in plan of semicircular ends connected by an intermediate part having parallel or substantially parallel sides. Preferably the latter are slightly cambered or The combustion chambers b, c, d, e and f are in a single row. These arrangements give strength to the structure to resist opening of the joints during working whilst giving large carbonization capacity.

In the carbonization zone, the coal space a completely surrounds the combustion chambers which ensures high thermal efiiciency of operation. By changing the coke space from an annular one to two separate parallel rectangular spaces r and s, We are enabled to pass the hot secondary air and the producer gas for combustion at the flame ports 9, h at the bases of the combustion chambers, laterally into the setting from opposite sides (as is clearly shown in Figure 1) between the coke cooling or steaming chambers 1' and s, which simplifies the setting and makes possible the use of simple forms of coke discharge gear at the base of the chambers r and s.

The coke cooling chambers r and 5 into which steam is injected by the pipes I8 and I9, Figure 6, have a greater holding capacity than the carbonization space so that when the gates or plat forms q are withdrawn, the charges will drop into and not fill the cooling spaces so that the gates or platforms can be raised freely to support the next charge in the carbonization space. The operation of the gates or platforms is therefore simplified as they have not to cut through coke as in prior proposals.

It will be appreciated that the steam injected by the pipes I8 and I9 into the incandescent coke in the cooling spaces r and s is converted into Water gas and rises through the gates or platforms q into the new charge in the carbonization space. It assists in the drying and heating of at least one combustion chamber within said annular carbonization space, means to supply combustible and air to the bottom of said combustion chamber, means to remove products of combustion from the top of said combustion chamber, a

movable gate at the foot of said annular carbonization space, two parallel rectangular cooling chambers for carbonized material spaced apart from one another located below said gate, the' walls of said annular carbonization space merging into the walls of said cooling chambers, anddischarge doors at the bottoms of said cooling chambers.

. 2. A vertical retort setting for the carbonization of coal or other carbonaceous material comprising a carbonization space in the form of an annulus having substantially flat sides and rounded ends, means to feed carbonaceous material tothe top of said carbonization space, gas olftake means at the top of said space, a row of combustion chambers occupying the centre of said annulus, two movable gates at the bottom of said carbonization space each when closed extending across one longitudinal half of said annulus, two parallel rectangular cooling chambers for carbonized material spaced apart from one another located one beneath each of said gates, the walls of said annular carbonization space merging into the walls of said cooling chambers, discharge doors at the bottoms of said cooling chambers, means to supply combustible and air to the bottom of each of said combustion chambers and means to remove products of combustion from the top of each of said combustion chambers.

. 3. A vertical retort setting as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means to supply combustible and air comprise gas ducts and air ducts entering the retort setting from opposite sides respectively, substantially horizontally between and at the same levelas the spaced parallel cooling chambers and then passing substantially vertically upwards to the combustion chamber when immediately below it.

4. A vertical retort setting as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means to supply combustible and air comprise gas ducts and air ducts, one each for each of said combustion chambers, entering the retort'setting from opposite sides respectively, substantially horizontally between and at the same level as the spaced parallel cooling chambers and then passing substantially vertically upwards to the combustion chambers when immediately below them.

1 FREDERICK JOSEPH WEST.

ERNEST WEST. 

